Apple Unveils iPhone Duo With 7.6-Inch Foldable Screen and iPhone 18 Pro That Charges to 50% in 15 Minutes

Apple's first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, has been unveiled with a 7.6-inch inner display, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, which Apple says can charge to 50 per cent in around 15 minutes.

The launch pairs Apple's debut folding handset with a new Pro line that adds a variable-aperture camera and A20 Pro chip, alongside faster charging and upgraded performance.

Apple is giving the two product lines separate release windows. iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max go up for pre-order on 12 September and arrive on 18 September, while iPhone Duo opens for pre-orders on 16 October before reaching customers on 23 October.

The iPhone 18 Pro can charge to 50 per cent in around 15 minutes, while iPhone Duo can reach that level in around 20 minutes.

iPhone Duo Opens Into Apple's Largest iPhone Display

iPhone Duo uses a 5.4-inch outer Super Retina XDR display when closed and a 7.6-inch inner screen when opened.

Apple says the larger panel is 50 per cent bigger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max display, while the outer screen provides 90 per cent of the screen area of iPhone 18 Pro.

Both screens share the same aspect ratio and support ProMotion, Always On and peak outdoor brightness of 3000 nits.

A nano-texture finish is designed to reduce glare, while a FaceTime camera remains hidden beneath the inner display when not in use.

The hinge is built from more than 100 components, supported by internal ribs and a grade 5 titanium enclosure.

Apple also lists Ceramic Shield protection, an IP68 rating and Touch ID in the side button. Apple says iPhone Duo will support Apple Pencil with USB-C later this year.

John Ternus, Apple's chief executive, called iPhone Duo 'the most transformational change to iPhone since the original'. He said it combines Apple's largest iPhone display with A20 Pro performance for content, multitasking and gaming.

iPhone Duo Combines A20 Pro With Dual Batteries

Inside, iPhone Duo uses A20 Pro with a custom vapour chamber and a dual-battery architecture. Apple says one battery is fitted on each side, with software allowing the cells to operate as one system.

Apple rates iPhone Duo for up to 31 hours of video playback on the inner display, up to 44 hours on the outer display and up to 24 hours when both screens are used equally. MagSafe or Qi2 wireless charging can reach 50 per cent in around 30 minutes.

Camera Control also provides quick access to the camera, while Siri Camera mode lets Siri respond to what the user sees.

iPhone 18 Pro Adds Variable-Aperture Camera and A20 Pro Power

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max introduce several photography upgrades. Their new 48MP Fusion Main camera introduces variable aperture to the iPhone, using six laser-cut blades that move between aperture settings.

Users can manually select from four aperture options in the Camera app, alongside controls for shutter speed and white balance.

Apple says the system is intended to improve low-light images, group photographs and depth-of-field control.

Video updates include Cinematic effects that can be applied after capture to footage recorded at up to 60 frames per second, while Time-lapse can record in 4K and Dolby Vision HDR.

A20 Pro is built using a 2-nanometre process and delivers 50 per cent more memory bandwidth than A19 Pro, according to Apple. Its seven-core GPU is rated up to 40 per cent faster than the A19 Pro GPU, while a Dual 16-core Neural Engine provides 32 cores for AI processing and computational photography.

Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, said the company had focused on camera, performance, battery and intelligence across the new Pro range.

The Pro models will be offered in black, silver, glacier and burgundy, while iPhone Duo comes in star white and night sky. Apple's staggered launch puts the Pro phones on sale first, with the foldable Duo following on 23 October.